Tooele Transcript Bulletin – News in Tooele, Utah
image Chairman John O’Donnell sits at the Tooele County Seniors Center after the Tooele County Democrat convention on April 27, 2011. O’Donnell remains undecided on whether or not he’ll seek a second term as the party’s chairman.

April 18, 2013
Local Democrats will meet tonight to select party leadership

Tooele County Democrats will gather tonight at the Tooele County Chamber of Commerce building to select their party’s leadership for the next two years.

Chairman John O’Donnell for the Tooele County Democratic Party, doesn’t know of anyone actively campaigning for a leadership position prior to the convention.

O’Donnell, a formerly Boston-based Democrat now living in Stansbury Park, is undecided about seeking a second term as party chairman.

“I’ve heard some names mentioned that might be running,” he said. “If somebody isn’t nominated at the convention, I might run for another term.”

Jim Dabakis, Utah state Democrat party chairman, will speak at tonight’s convention.

Once the dominant party in Tooele County, Democrats dwindled to 40 people from Tooele City precincts turning out for caucus meetings in 2008.

The party experienced a resurgence in 2012 with 120 people from Tooele City packing the basement of the Tooele County building for caucus meetings.

While county Democrats celebrated a national victory in the 2012 presidential race, locally Democrats were shut out by Republicans.

However, the Democratic Party in Tooele County still remains relevant, according to O’Donnell.

“The problems the county is now facing occurred after years of Republican leadership,” O’Donnell said. “The Democratic Party represents the working people of the county. Democratic leadership may have looked at things differently.”

The Tooele County Democratic party convention is open to the public, but only delegates elected at the 2012 caucus meeting are eligible to vote.

The convention will start at 7 p.m. at the chamber of commerce building, which is located at 154 S. Main Street, Tooele.

Tim Gillie

Editor at Tooele Transcript Bulletin
Tim has been writing for the Transcript Bulletin since October 2017. In February 2019 he was named as editor. In addition to being editor, Tim continues to write about Tooele County government, education, business, real estate, housing, politics and the state Legislature.A native of Washington state and a graduate of Central Washington University, Tim became a journalist after a 20 year career with the Boy Scouts of America.

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